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We do have rabies, but its mostly within bats and other similar wild populations. It's mostly confined enough that its not a normal thing people worry about.

Also we basically don't have a feral dog population either in the UK. Feral cats yes (indeed they are driving out the native wildcat which is now pretty much only present in a few of the most remote Scottish Highlands); but not a feral dog population to carry something like rabies into more human contact

A quick googling indicates that UK is listed as rabies free, and that only certain bat species might harbour it. Last human case acquired in the uk was 1902. Really not something that needs headspace offer here.

For those curious:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rabies-epidemiology-transmission-and-prevention#rabies-in-animals-in-the-uk

Essentially the UK is rabies free. The last case of true rabies caught here by a human was over a hundred years ago, with a bat keeper catching the rabies-like EBLV-2 disease from bats in 2002.

It isn't a realistic threat to outdoor cats in this country, other diseases are going to be bigger threats.

Yeah, my childhood cat spent pretty much every night outdoors and she made it to 23.

Well, in my personal kitty life I have a new addition.

I had 5 cats (17M, 16F, 7M, 5M, 4M), but recently got divorced and my ex took her two favorites, the youngest two. The 7 year-old male then got bored, started eating heavily, and stopped playing. He was always a large cat, but he went from 16 pounds to 20 pounds in about 2 months. So, time for a new kitty to keep him active.

New kitty is 5 months old, but surprisingly has bonded with the 16 year-old female. 16F has always treated new arrivals with cool neglect. She doesn't hate them, but doesn't go out of her way to interact. This time is different for some reason. She's totally going full-momma mode with the new kitten. Perhaps it's because they're both female?

Could be her missing the other two, and wanting a proper proper bond?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Could be her missing the other two, and wanting a proper proper bond?

I know she's not missing one of them. He was a super-huge Siamese, not an ounce of fat on him and still 21 pounds. He was an awesome cat until my daughter got Guinea Pigs. He thought they were his babies and lovingly spent time with them. Then they died, he got depressed for a week, then overnight got super aggressive with the oldest cat (old cat is the gentlest old-man ever). I think he blamed old-cat for their death. We had to keep them in segregated areas of the home.

Keep your new cat in for a good 3 months before letting them outside, you want them to be really certain that your house is home otherwise its all to easy for them to get lost if spooked.

Try and give them a varied diet in both brands and flavours of food. Nothing worse than having a cat that has only ever eaten only ever eaten one sort of food and suddenly it's sold out/reformulated or discontinued

I've grown up with cats 24/7 around me as a kid, always had atleast 2, sometimes 3. They did end up dieing all though.. some on a highway nearby and some thankfully of old age.

I would therefor think I'd be experienced enough to give some advice.

For a kitten, don't treat them like a human child, they need boundaries.. which you can easily give them with a plant-spray filled with cold water, no need to throw them around, no hitting them on the nose etc like some people do with dogs. Just a moment of "huh!" scaring is enough to get them to stop doing what you don't want them to do.. Among such -don't want you to do this- things is behavior like "scratching objects they aren't supposed to" (while most people put protective bits around which is the -wrong- way to tackle it, the cat shouldn't be behind the steering wheel of your car either.) so use some catnip on a scratchpole and spray the kitten with cold water from a plant-spray when they scratch anything else, cats will learn very quickly, takes a few days to -get it-.

Climbing into objects such as your (bare or no) legs is another to use the plant-spray against, worked with two kittens of my own aswell, took them 3 days to stop doing it permanently. Pooping/peeing in the wrong places can be harder to steer because they can do that for many reasons, among which loneliness, fear, poor access etc.. They do need access to a litterbox but for a kitten they will sometimes poop wherever they are, this will take a bit of time so don't respond with punishment for that (plant-spray).. its not like a dog that has a conscience about it.. cat's need to get used to finding the right place and sometimes that means moving their litterbox around until they figure out to bury their poop.. ofcourse pooping outside is the best.

Contrary to what most people think.. no cat is a "housecat" although cats can be kept confined to a house which is unnatural. You can substitute natural behavior but this will always cause problems in the long run. A family member of mine has one such "housecats" who is always jumpy and scared and has gotten rather fat and unhealthy aswell.., cat's don't live to "play with a master" like a dog, cat's live to hunt, socialize with other cats by rubbing their scent-glands against objects and eachother and explore nature. That you live on the main floor and have a garden is a good thing, people shouldn't keep cats in skyscrapers etc imho.

Also cats can sometimes keep to themselves in nature, this is when they don't feel great and need to recover, this doesn't mean your cat has run away or is catnapped. When a cat is injured for instance it looks for a place under a hedge where nothing bothers it. Yes this may mean if your cat is injured badly it will die alone, this is natural. Cats also, like dogs and many other animals' stop eating. This doesn't mean you need to forcefeed it (like most practices will advice) because your cat will be fasting, this is also natural'. An animal, such as a cat' will fast when they feel sick, which corresponds with keeping to themselves away from home, or just becoming less social for a while, don't try to force social interaction when your cat gives clear signs of having less interest in it. Cat's will come to you when they<-- want to be social, trust me there. Fasting gives the cat's body the ability to detoxify whatever it is suffering from by reducing the body's effort to digest food. This is also why you shouldn't bring it to a vet whenever it stops eating. Its not a psychological condition, its a natural behavior which clears up when it feels better again.

Only take your cat to a vet when it has clear trauma to the body, that doesn't include a cut ear or a bloody nose, it means broken bones etc.
As long as you feed your cat what it would eat in nature (that means no cow's meat obviously) such as rabbit, poultry etc' without additives' the cat won't build up toxicity so won't get sick by unnatural causes. When a cat gets poisoned in nature (very rare, maybe by a snake), they will often go off into the wild to look for curative agents themselves, I know this sounds weird, but cows do the same thing.

Oh as a sidenote, cat's really hate being caressed against their hairs direction, they will prefer not to be rubbed on their bellies like dogs, they do not like you to hold their paws like dogs although they may allow it. The correct way to caress a cat is by tapping your hand against something, then holding it out and letting them put their scent on you (they will do this with the side of their neck) and then you can pet them from the head to the back and tail.

Hope all these tips help, and I also hope your warhammer collection survives as cats tend to want to lay on top of things (some kind of looking for safety' thing) and will throw everything off that particular place so they have it to themselves.

-Helveine.

 Haighus wrote:
For those curious:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rabies-epidemiology-transmission-and-prevention#rabies-in-animals-in-the-uk

Essentially the UK is rabies free. The last case of true rabies caught here by a human was over a hundred years ago, with a bat keeper catching the rabies-like EBLV-2 disease from bats in 2002.

It isn't a realistic threat to outdoor cats in this country, other diseases are going to be bigger threats.

Don't take advice from government sites though, cat's do not "catch" any dis-ease other than if they are injected with it through a snakebite, tick, wasp, etc.
Human's "catching" .."rabies" in reality entails simply toxins entering through a bite which can be considered the same subject of incision.

One more reason to never ever declaw is that it can make a cat more likely to bite. They feel defenseless and so they will resort to biting far more often, and cat bites are nasty.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Leopold Helveine wrote:

Oh as a sidenote, cat's really hate being caressed against their hairs direction, they will prefer not to be rubbed on their bellies like dogs, they do not like you to hold their paws like dogs although they may allow it. The correct way to caress a cat is by tapping your hand against something, then holding it out and letting them put their scent on you (they will do this with the side of their neck) and then you can pet them from the head to the back and tail.

It depends. Some cats don't mind being pet opposite to their hair, but you should of course only do it if your particular cat is ok with it.

Same with belly rubs and paw holding. We had two cats who just loved their belly rubs and paw massages all around their little toe beans. Its definitely something a cat will only accept if it really trusts you though.

I can’t believe this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but be prepared for all future war games to involve the presence of a Felix-class biotitan as an independent faction on the field.

 Leopold Helveine wrote:

 Haighus wrote:
For those curious:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rabies-epidemiology-transmission-and-prevention#rabies-in-animals-in-the-uk

Essentially the UK is rabies free. The last case of true rabies caught here by a human was over a hundred years ago, with a bat keeper catching the rabies-like EBLV-2 disease from bats in 2002.

It isn't a realistic threat to outdoor cats in this country, other diseases are going to be bigger threats.

Don't take advice from government sites though, cat's do not "catch" any dis-ease other than if they are injected with it through a snakebite, tick, wasp, etc.
Human's "catching" .."rabies" in reality entails simply toxins entering through a bite which can be considered the same subject of incision.

Yes, rabies is primarily transmitted by bites (normally canid bites). Catching is just a colloquial term for getting a transmissible infection of any kind. Rabies isn't a toxin though, it is a viral infection, and a highly-fatal one at that.

Like all mamals, cats can get other diseases than through skin breaks or blood-borne transmission. Toxoplasmosis is a common gut parasite, for example. Can cause disease in humans too (particularly kids). Microorganisms are little gits that love the cosy environment of a mammal, if given the opportunity.

A wise tidbit I picked up on the internet is that cats are a lesson in consent. You can't domineer them like you can a dog, best you can hope for is negotiating with an equal.

 Haighus wrote:

 Leopold Helveine wrote:

 Haighus wrote:
For those curious:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rabies-epidemiology-transmission-and-prevention#rabies-in-animals-in-the-uk

Essentially the UK is rabies free. The last case of true rabies caught here by a human was over a hundred years ago, with a bat keeper catching the rabies-like EBLV-2 disease from bats in 2002.

It isn't a realistic threat to outdoor cats in this country, other diseases are going to be bigger threats.

Don't take advice from government sites though, cat's do not "catch" any dis-ease other than if they are injected with it through a snakebite, tick, wasp, etc.
Human's "catching" .."rabies" in reality entails simply toxins entering through a bite which can be considered the same subject of incision.

Yes, rabies is primarily transmitted by bites (normally canid bites). Catching is just a colloquial term for getting a transmissible infection of any kind. Rabies isn't a toxin though, it is a viral infection, and a highly-fatal one at that.

Like all mamals, cats can get other diseases than through skin breaks or blood-borne transmission. Toxoplasmosis is a common gut parasite, for example. Can cause disease in humans too (particularly kids). Microorganisms are little gits that love the cosy environment of a mammal, if given the opportunity.

Parasites do not cause illness, they practically live off toxins, at worst they can be a problem if there are too many of them, but the bottom line is that -the fishbowl is polluted, causing the fish to suffer-, to make an allegory.

As for viral, that literally refers to toxins, to nothing else. (I'm an etymologist as much as a health expert)

 Leopold Helveine wrote:

 Haighus wrote:

 Leopold Helveine wrote:

 Haighus wrote:
For those curious:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rabies-epidemiology-transmission-and-prevention#rabies-in-animals-in-the-uk

Essentially the UK is rabies free. The last case of true rabies caught here by a human was over a hundred years ago, with a bat keeper catching the rabies-like EBLV-2 disease from bats in 2002.

It isn't a realistic threat to outdoor cats in this country, other diseases are going to be bigger threats.

Don't take advice from government sites though, cat's do not "catch" any dis-ease other than if they are injected with it through a snakebite, tick, wasp, etc.
Human's "catching" .."rabies" in reality entails simply toxins entering through a bite which can be considered the same subject of incision.

Yes, rabies is primarily transmitted by bites (normally canid bites). Catching is just a colloquial term for getting a transmissible infection of any kind. Rabies isn't a toxin though, it is a viral infection, and a highly-fatal one at that.

Like all mamals, cats can get other diseases than through skin breaks or blood-borne transmission. Toxoplasmosis is a common gut parasite, for example. Can cause disease in humans too (particularly kids). Microorganisms are little gits that love the cosy environment of a mammal, if given the opportunity.

Parasites do not cause illness, they practically live off toxins, at worst they can be a problem if there are too many of them, but the bottom line is that -the fishbowl is polluted, causing the fish to suffer-, to make an allegory.

As for viral, that literally refers to toxins, to nothing else. (I'm an etymologist as much as a health expert)

Parasites definitely cause disease, otherwise they would not be parasites but instead symbiotes. Human parasitic gut infections are the leading cause of anaemia worldwide, for example. They live at the expense of the host organism, usually directly off it. Generally speaking, the host isn't considered a toxin.

Viruses are packets of nucleic acid that hijack cells to replacate themselves. They can cause the generation of toxins but are not toxins in and of themselves.

 lord_blackfang wrote:
A wise tidbit I picked up on the internet is that cats are a lesson in consent. You can't domineer them like you can a dog, best you can hope for is negotiating with an equal.

Negotiating with an equal?!

You exist to serve.

 Jadenim wrote:

 lord_blackfang wrote:
A wise tidbit I picked up on the internet is that cats are a lesson in consent. You can't domineer them like you can a dog, best you can hope for is negotiating with an equal.

Negotiating with an equal?!

You exist to serve.

They did say “best you can hope for”

There might be some cats out there with crippling self esteem issues and/or traumatic pasts that consider themselves equal to humans. I’d not bet on the odds of actually finding one, but there are a lot of kitties out there.

Dogs have owners, cats have staff.

As Pterry once wrote?

Cats used to be worshipped as gods.

They have not forgotten this.

@Leopold - you should go check out toxoplasmosis and malaria for a start.

Another thing worth remembering in all this general advice.

It's general advice.

Every pet is it's own being, and can defy general advice for it's type at will. Some cats will enjoy belly rubs when most will react as if attacked. Some cats don't like milk or fish, despite all stereotypes. Some cats even like to take baths and/or swim.

Bear this in mind, because YOUR cat can and will surprise you if you expect them to be 'just like all other cats'. There is no 'typical' cat. Just a big bundle of common cat traits that any given individual may or may not live up - or down - to.


An aside: Adult cats are almost always lactose-intolerant. They may (in general) really really LIKE milk and cream, but it makes for a very smelly litterbox and possibly even a mildly ill kitty. On the up-side, there is cat-specific milks out there that ARE safe for cats.

 Vulcan wrote:
Another thing worth remembering in all this general advice.

It's general advice.

Every pet is it's own being, and can defy general advice for it's type at will. Some cats will enjoy belly rubs when most will react as if attacked. Some cats don't like milk or fish, despite all stereotypes. Some cats even like to take baths and/or swim.

Bear this in mind, because YOUR cat can and will surprise you if you expect them to be 'just like all other cats'. There is no 'typical' cat. Just a big bundle of common cat traits that any given individual may or may not live up - or down - to.


An aside: Adult cats are almost always lactose-intolerant. They may (in general) really really LIKE milk and cream, but it makes for a very smelly litterbox and possibly even a mildly ill kitty. On the up-side, there is cat-specific milks out there that ARE safe for cats.

Oh, and small kittens stink, until their digestion is running at 100%.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
As Pterry once wrote?

Cats used to be worshipped as gods.

They have not forgotten this.

That doesn't imply that you should have no lines which it needs to be aware that it can't cross.
Water does help with that.


ftr, potty training is dependant on mother cat / you depending upon mother cat. Though be warned the ones i knew were brutal with their kittens, otoh my own cat got drilled to the point that it would come back home for it's buissness.

Also cats have simultaniously, regardless of size really, either a single braincell or an intellect that is superior to yours with the agility to back it up. A combination that is... not always advantagous. Don't let plastic bags unatended on the floor f.e. and close up small pipes.

 Haighus wrote:

Viruses are packets of nucleic acid that hijack cells to replacate themselves. They can cause the generation of toxins but are not toxins in and of themselves.

Eh no, not ever in history has that been proven, on the contrary, it has been disproven endlessly that that which is illustrated as whichever virus (in the mainstream model) merely be either microscope photography artifacts or cell death debris caused by preparation of the petridish, besides the fact that it would be absolutely impossible to actually find (detect) such in a living body to begin with, it is so that the process causes the findings misinterpeted as generative.

a Virus is nothing but an umbrella term of toxins, it does not hijack "cells" (which themselves do not exist as promoted but are more like a gel.
This is a good video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8zvBNWWAfY ) Virus theory is practically fiction.
Also on malaria: https://rumble.com/v318oc4-dr.-tom-cowan-deep-dives-on-malaria-and-medical-solutions-for-treating-the-.html

But I'll keep it at this not to hijack a thread about cats

I have a family member that is literally in fear of letting his cat outside without first (if ever, hopefully never) getting "shots".. which is the most incredible thing I've ever heard from him.. and is pretty sad.. :/

Yeah that guy's a covid conspiracy theorist who reckoned it was 5G making people sick. I'm calling bollocks there I'm afraid.

a Virus is nothing but an umbrella term of toxins, it does not hijack "cells" (which themselves do not exist as promoted but are more like a gel.
This is a good video on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8zvBNWWAfY ) Virus theory is practically fiction.

That video explains nothing.
There's no actual explanation, just a guy saying all of medical science if wrong; then creating a daft analogy and then moving onto an entirely different area to say they are wrong as well.
There's no explanation as to what's going on, why they are wrong nor any alternative theory presented. It's just a rambling chunk of thought that doesn't really explain, educate, question not present any valid argument.

I have a family member that is literally in fear of letting his cat outside without first (if ever, hopefully never) getting "shots".. which is the most incredible thing I've ever heard from him.. and is pretty sad.. :/

Getting the shots and boosters are important for pets (as they are people).
Another thing more vets are doing are more of these long term subscriptions where you pay X a month/year and basically get a couple of basic health checkups and worm/flea treatment. They can be good for both keeping an eye on your pet's general health and condition (esp if you're a first time owner and such); but they can also be good because they help de-sensitize your pet to the vet.

This can be really helpful honestly. Our last husky only went to the vet when she was really sick/injured. So every visit was an experience of negativity. Pain, strange place, strange people, more pain etc... Whilst she utterly loved car rides, and went on many; the vets was a BAD place.

Our current husky has no real fear of the vets at all. It's just a place he goes to and there's stuff that happens that isn't really scary at all and then he's home again. In part because he's had these semi regular trips.



They can also be good for you to practice getting your pet into the carrier, in the case of a cat. So it can also be good for you so that if you do have to make an emergency visit you know where your cat carrier is (it also means you have one to start with); as well as how to get your cat inside it etc....


It's worth considering, esp if you're new to owning pets or haven't owned one in a long time.

Crispy78 wrote:
Yeah that guy's a covid conspiracy theorist who reckoned it was 5G making people sick. I'm calling bollocks there I'm afraid.

That's an ad hominem, not even warranted' and he didn't think 5g was making people sick. People make themselves sick, usually by injecting themselves with bad lifestyle choices and so called vaccines. albeit there is definately an added factor of bad enviroments aswell, with pollution etc. The living climate affects us all.

It really sounds like he thought that.

https://www.newsweek.com/youtube-video-suggests-5g-internet-causes-coronavirus-people-are-falling-it-1493321

A YouTube video that suggests 5G internet causes COVID-19 has some people convinced their smartphones could kill them. Meanwhile, critics of the video—which was filmed at a March 12 health summit in Tucson, Arizona, and uploaded to YouTube by the account Parents for Healthcare Rights—are slamming it and saying that it's spreading bogus information in the midst of a very real and serious global crisis.

The video shows a presentation by Dr. Thomas Cowan, M.D, who claims that, because Africa was not as affected by the coronavirus outbreak at first, there was reason to believe 5G could be the cause of the virus. His argument was, "Africa is not a 5G region."

Crispy78 wrote:
It really sounds like he thought that.

https://www.newsweek.com/youtube-video-suggests-5g-internet-causes-coronavirus-people-are-falling-it-1493321

A YouTube video that suggests 5G internet causes COVID-19 has some people convinced their smartphones could kill them. Meanwhile, critics of the video—which was filmed at a March 12 health summit in Tucson, Arizona, and uploaded to YouTube by the account Parents for Healthcare Rights—are slamming it and saying that it's spreading bogus information in the midst of a very real and serious global crisis.

The video shows a presentation by Dr. Thomas Cowan, M.D, who claims that, because Africa was not as affected by the coronavirus outbreak at first, there was reason to believe 5G could be the cause of the virus. His argument was, "Africa is not a 5G region."

That's anecdotal, and from a list of speculations. I too speculated back then on what could cause the presumed outbreak before I figured out there was none ..other than the rebranding of seasonal flu, which itself is not a virus other than to its etymology considering it concerns the driving out of (accumulated or no) toxins (to the symptomology, which isn't contagious according to zounds of experiments done trying to reproduce such).

anyway, as this thread is about cats, if you want you can continue through pm.
To return to the topic' cats only get sick with either enviromental poisons, stress induced toxicity and bad diet included' and the misinterpeted self-detox that all lifeforms express seasonally, which technically isn't being 'sicked' with anything, but showing symptomology which again' entails outing toxins through skin(rashes), mucus, sweating, etc.

Keep the thread to pets not dumb conspiracy theories.

One breed of Kitty that appeals is the Lykoi.

It’s a pretty recent breed, and they’re described as being almost dog like in their affection, and so they seem a decent fit for me.

However, expense of the breed aside? Part of their breed is being relatively hairless. Now I can absolutely keep kitty warm, because that’s easy to do for a responsible hoomans.

But my concern is they’re so little known, when Bunghole is off outside to see what it can see? Someone might take it to a Vet thinking it has some health issue.

Naturally I’ll have any kitty microchipped. But I wonder about the stress on the kitty of potential well intentioned catnapping, and the arse ache on me having to defend “it’s not sick, that’s just how he looks”